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UPDATE 2-FTSE 100 retreats after Fed stance, global trade picture unclear

Published 26/06/2019, 17:42
© Reuters.  UPDATE 2-FTSE 100 retreats after Fed stance, global trade picture unclear
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* FTSE 100, FTSE 250 down 0.1%
* Markets subdued after Fed stance, trade worries remain
* Oil majors help main index outperform Europe
* Small-cap RPS sinks after warning on FY results

(Adds news items, analyst comment, updates to closing prices)
By Shashwat Awasthi
June 26 (Reuters) - London's main index dipped slightly on
Wednesday as investor anxiety after the U.S. Federal Reserve
tampered expectations of interest rate cuts was compounded by
Washington's ambiguous signals on trade negotiations with China.
The FTSE 100 .FTSE edged down 0.1% on uncertainty over
global trade remained after President Donald Trump called a
potential agreement with China "absolutely possible", but also
said he was happy with where things currently stood.
The mid-cap FTSE 250 .FTMC tipped 0.2% lower as the pound
was pressured by persisting 'no-deal' Brexit fears.
Investors were already disappointed by comments from Federal
Reserve officials on Tuesday tempering expectations for
aggressive monetary easing at its next meeting. Bets that the Fed would ease policy have put the FTSE 100 on
course for its best month since January, counteracting effects
of U.S. sanctions on Iran and uncertainty ahead of the Trump-Xi
showpiece at the G20 summit.
"We're pleased that the macro (situation) has been
stabilised thanks to central banks, but that doesn't mean we are
suddenly serene about putting our foot on the accelerator in
equities," said Guillaume Lasserre, chief investment officer at
Lyxor Asset Management.
The Fed officials' comments lifted the dollar from a
three-month low, which weighed on gold prices, pushing precious
metals miner Fresnillo FRES.L down 2%.
Oil majors Shell RDSa.L and BP BP.L helped the main
index outperform its European peers, however, as a decline in
U.S. crude stockpiles and U.S.-Iran worries supported prices.
O/R
The index of miners .FTNMX1770 rose for the fifth straight
session as copper prices advanced after U.S. Treasury Secretary
Steve Mnuchin said a U.S.-China trade deal was "90% complete".
On the mid-cap index, oilfield services provider Wood Group
WG.L climbed 6.6% on its best day in seven months after it
forecast higher half-year operating profit. Peer Petrofac PFC.L surged nearly 15%, recovering all of
its losses from the previous day when it flagged that it lost
out on $10 billion in contracts amid an ongoing probe into its
dealings in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Small-cap professional services company RPS RPS.L
plummeted 35% to a more than 10-1/2 year low after warning of
"materially" lower annual results.

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